Knitting in the round, also known as circular knitting, is a versatile technique. It allows knitters to create seamless items like hats, sweaters, and socks. Using double pointed needles (DPNs) or circular knitting needles, it’s possible to join rounds seamlessly. For knitting in the round, the first stitch is joined to the last stitch in the cast on row. The video and written instructions below show how I join round using circular knitting needles.
How to Join Round:
Written Instructions for How to Join Round:
Cast on the required number of stitches using a circular knitting needle.
Place a beginning of round marker (BOR) on the right circular knitting needle
Check to see all the stitches are facing inwards in one direction in the circular knitting needle
Without twisting the stitches, knit the stitch on the right circular needle to the first stitch on the left circular needle to join round
Continue knitting in the round as specified in the pattern
In knitting patterns there is a right side and a wrong side for a row or a round. It does not mean that the wrong side (the inner side) pattern can’t be reversed and be on the right side (the outer side). I sometimes like the reverse side of the pattern just as much as the right or outer side. The Comfy Hat Patterns are an example of patterns with both the right side and wrong side as the outer side of the hats. When I completed knitting the Spring is in the Air Dishcloth last month, I liked how the two different colors of yarn gave a striped textured pattern on the reverse (wrong) side of the dishcloth (pictured below). The striped textured pattern on the wrong side led to the Reverse Side Dishcloth pattern.
The Reverse Side Dishcloth pattern is the reverse side of the linen stitch pattern in two different yarn colorways. In this pattern I used Capri Eco Cotton™ by Loops and Threads® yarn made from recycled cotton in two different colorways. Stitches are cast on, the round joined and the dishcloth is worked by knitting towards the center with decreases every other round till 8 stitches remain. It is then finished with the duplicate crochet stitch running diagonally beginning at each corner and moving towards the center. Reverse single crochet stitch pattern is used as an edging for the border.
The Reverse Side Dishcloth Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
Yarn: Capri Eco Cotton™ by Loops and Threads® yarn in Yellow (Colorway 1) and Pewter (Colorway 2) Knitting Needles: US #10 for cast on and US #8 circular needles to knit the dishcloth Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook Tapestry Needle to weave in ends Gauge: 5 stitches/inch Abbreviations:
K: Knit
P: Purl
K2tog: Knit the first two stitches on the left needle together
ssk: slip slip knit (slip 2 stitches to right hand needle then insert the left needle in front of the two slipped stitches and knit them together
pm: place marker
sm: slip marker
BOR: beginning of round
wyif: with working yarn in front
*…*: pattern repeats within a section
[…]: repeat pattern for each of the 4 sections within brackets
With US #10 knitting needles cast on 148 stitches with Colorway 1 (Yellow) yarn using the long tail cast on or the thumb method. Transfer all stitches to a 16 inch US #8 circular needles, place a BOR marker and join round to knit the following making sure the stitches are not twisted.
Setup Round 1: With Colorway 2 yarn (Pewter): [P1, pm, ssk, (*K1, slip1 wyif* repeat *…* 16 more times), K2tog, pm] repeat […] 2 more times, P1, pm, ssk, (*K1, slip1 wyif* repeat *…* 16 more times), K2tog, slip BOR marker – place all the yarn tails on the right side of the knitting (pictured below)
Round 2: With Colorway 1 yarn (Yellow): [P1, sm, *K1, slip 1 wyif* repeat *…* till marker, sm] repeat […] 2 more times, P1, sm, *K1, slip 1 wyif* repeat *…* till BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Round 3: With Colorway 2 yarn (Pewter): [P1, sm, ssk, *slip1 wyif, K1* repeat *…* till 2 stitches before marker, K2tog, sm] repeat […] 2 more times, P1, pm, ssk, *slip 1 wyif, K1* repeat *…* till 2 stitches before BOR marker, K2tog, slip BOR marker
Round 4: With Colorway 1 yarn (Yellow): [P1, sm, *slip 1 wyif, K1* repeat *…* till marker, sm] repeat […] 2 more times, P1, sm, *slip 1 wyif, K1* repeat *…* till BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Round 5: With Colorway 2 yarn (Pewter): [P1, sm, ssk, *K1, slip 1 wyif* repeat *…* till 2 stitches before marker, K2tog, sm] repeat […] 2 more times, P1, pm, ssk, *K1, slip 1 wyif* repeat *…* till 2 stitches before BOR marker, K2tog, slip BOR marker
Round 6: With Colorway 1 yarn (Yellow): [P1, sm, *K1, slip1 wyif* repeat *…* till marker, sm] repeat […] 2 more times, P1, sm, *K1, slip 1 wyif* repeat *…* till BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Repeat Rounds 3 – 6, seven more times. There are 20 stitches left on the needles after these repeats. For the next two rounds knit the following:
Cut the working yarn (yellow – colorway 1) and pull it through a tapestry needle. Remove the BOR marker and insert the tapestry needle through the remaining eight stitches and pull them tight to close the gap and secure yarn on the right side of the dishcloth.
The Duplicate Crochet Stitch*:
With size 7 (4.5 mm) crochet hook and colorway 1 (yellow) yarn make a slip knot and chain one.
Insert crochet hook from top to bottom and pull the chain 1 stitch through the corner stitch.
Duplicate stitch crochet by inserting hook top to bottom and pulling the yarn up and slip stitching it with the loop (stitch) on the hook.
Insert the hook for the duplicate crochet stitch in the colorway 1 (yellow) knit stitch and skip the colorway 2 (pewter) knit stitch. Continue with the duplicate crochet stitch till you reach the center, break yarn and pull it through the last stitch.
Reverse Single Crochet Edging and hanging loop* (Optional):
Reverse Single Crochet edging: Starting at the cast on edge and on the left of the center duplicate crochet stitch (see picture below),
pick up the cast on stitches and reverse single crochet in a clockwise direction with size 7 (4.5 mm) crochet hook all around the dishcloth edge with Colorway 1 (yellow) yarn. Slip stitch into the first reverse single crochet border stitch and crochet 12 chain stitches. Slip stitch into the reverse single crochet stitch on the other side of the center duplicate crochet stitch.
Weave in the ends, wash and block the Reverse Side Dishcloth.
* Several video tutorials for the duplicate crochet stitch and reverse single crochet are available on YouTube
About six years ago was the first time I went to the New Jersey Sheep and Wool Festival. I remember the excitement I felt in anticipation of this event. I was a novice knitter who had not yet ventured into a yarn shop. I was amazed when I went to this festival and saw the many breeds of sheep, how their fleece is sheared, the process involved from raw fleece to yarn, alpacas, and a plethora of indie dyers, sheep farmers and yarn shop owners. It was such a wonderful experience. It was there that I purchased the fingering weight sock yarn used in the Reminisce Hat pattern. I remember I stopped at this stall because the owner was spinning fiber into yarn with a spinning wheel. She encouraged me to try spinning but I was hesitant to do so. I did however purchase her hand dyed superwash merino with nylon sock yarn. Regrettably, I have since lost the label and with it the name of the yarn shop. But I do remember her friendly personality and the lovely time I had meeting other indie dyers and crafters.
The Reminisce Hat is knit top down and in the round holding two strands of the same yarn together. Eight stitches are cast on and using the magic loop method the crown of the hat is increased to the preferred size. The body is knit in a simple stitch pattern. The hat is then completed by a double brim in stockinette stitch pattern. The first few rounds of the hat is a bit fiddly but the rest of the hat is mainly in stockinette stitch pattern with a few repeating purl stripes.
The Reminisce Hat Pattern: (text and images for personal use only)
Yarn: Fingering Weight Sock Yarn (Super wash Merino and Nylon) 100g about 400 yards Circular Knitting Needles: US #4 (16 and 32 inches cable length) Gauge: 5.5 stitches x 8 rows per inch Size: Adult (23 – 24″ head circumference and about 8″ hat length) Abbreviations:
K: Knit
P: Purl
Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase)
pm: place marker
sm: slip marker
BOR: beginning of round marker
With two strands of the same yarn held together, cast-on 8 stitches using the magic loop cast-on method (several tutorials available on Youtube). Divide the stitches equally (4 stitches) between the left and right sides of the US #4 circular needle (32 inches cable length)
Hat Crown Increases:
Round 1: Kfb all stitches
Round 2: Knit all stitches (16 stitches)
Round 3: Kfb, K2, Kfb, pm, Kfb, K2, Kfb, turn to work on stitches on the next needle, Kfb, K2, Kfb, pm, Kfb, K2, Kfb, place BOR marker
Round 4: Knit all stitches (24 stitches)
Round 5: Kfb, knit to 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, Kfb, knit to 1 stitch before last, Kfb, turn to work on stitches on the next needle, Kfb, knit to 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, Kfb, knit to 1 stitch before BOR marker, Kfb, slip BOR marker
Round 6: Knit all stitches (32 stitches)
Repeat Rounds 5 and 6 till there are 128 stitches on the knitting needle (to knit to another size just increase or decrease the number of rounds and stitches)
Change to US#4 16 inch circular knitting needles and purl one round removing all markers except the BOR marker
Hat Body:
Knit all stitches the next 5 rounds and then purl all stitches in the sixth round.
Repeat these 6 rounds 4 more times.
Hat Brim:
Round 1: Knit all stitches wrapping the waste yarn around the working yarn in the wrong side of the hat before knitting the stitches with the working yarn, slip BOR marker (see image above)
Knit all stitches for the next 20 rounds (or more if preferred).
Hat Double Brim Bind Off:
Fold the brim inside the wrong side of the hat and pick up the back of the stitch from Round 1 with the waste yarn and place it on the left needle. Remove the waste yarn and knit this Round 1 stitch together with the first stitch on the left needle. Repeat this with the next stitch and then bind off the first stitch on the right needle.
Repeat this till 1 stitch left on the needle. Cut the working yarn and pull through the stitch. Remove BOR marker and weave in the ends (see below)
To tighten the gap in the center, insert yarn tail with a tapestry needle through the first eight stitches and pull them tight to close the gap.
Last year, I purchased a single skein of the Lion Brand ZZ Twist yarn in the Periwinkle colorway. I wanted to see how this yarn spun with a “Z ” twist would knit up. I knit this Increases and Decreases Cowl (free pattern below) using a blanket rib knit stitch pattern. This stitch pattern is a two round pattern where all the stitches are doubled in the first round, and then decreased to the original number of stitches in the second round.
The Increases and Decreases Cowl Pattern (text and images for personal use only):
Yarn: Lion Brand ZZ Twist yarn in the Periwinkle colorway Circular Knitting Needles: US #8 and US #9 Knitting Needle: US #10 for cast on Gauge: 16 stitches / 4 inches in blanket rib stitch pattern with US #8 needles Abbreviations:
K: Knit
P: Purl
Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase) – Tutorial Series: Kfb (Knit front and back)
With a circular US #10 needle, cast on 85 stitches using the long tail cast on method. Sip all the stitches to a circular US #9 needle, place a BOR marker, join round* (make sure the stitches are not twisted) by knitting as follows:
Round 1: K1, *Kfb*; repeat from *…* till one stitch before the BOR marker, K1, slip BOR marker.
Round 2: K1, P2tog, *K2tog, P2tog*; repeat from *…* till one stitch before BOR marker, K1, slip BOR marker.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 – 9 more times. Switch to circular US #8 needles and knit Rounds 1 and 2 until the desired cowl length is reached. Bind off in pattern ending in Round 2. Wash and weave in the ends.
I liked the stitch definition and drape of this yarn. I think the blanket rib stitch pattern with this “Z” twisted yarn makes it look more like a crochet stitch rather than a knit stitch. This yarn is also very soft and smooth to work with, budget friendly, machine washable, and wool free. My knitting experience was very satisfying with this yarn and I plan to continue knitting or crocheting more projects with it.
How has your knitting experience been with the ZZ Twist yarn?
Coffee Tea Knits 